Herbal capsules are not a replacement for pharmaceutical pills.
Stay with me.
Just taking lemon balm capsules instead of SSRIs is not going to work.
Replacing your statin drugs with cayenne capsules probably won’t get you very far.
Taking white willow bark caps every time you have a headache won’t stop the headaches from coming back.
You see, Atomistic medicine seeks to find a pill for every ill. This was the philosophy taught by Democritus, while Hippocrates was teaching, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine thy food” and had an entire healthy community to show for it. In Democritus’ philosophy, which is how Western medicine actually operates (not Hippocratically), the body has to be acted upon in order to be fixed. It isn't capable of healing itself.
So when we chase symptoms with herbs that “lower blood pressure” or “reduce pain” or “calm anxiety” we are actually using Democritus’ philosophy.
Now, some herbs are strong enough to create a positive effect when used this way, with much lower risk of side effects and after-effects vs drugs (how many drugs do you have to take to "shut up" the side effects of the first drug?). But using them this way isn’t really going to get you what you want long-term. As a first step? GREAT! But let's go deeper.
Most herbs are nutritious. Some are more "action-oriented" than nutrition-oriented. Many are both!
The BEST way to get long-term positive health results is to cleanse the body of toxins (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually) AND build it up with the building blocks it needs to create healthy new cells (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually).
Herbal cleansing, hydration, sunlight, grounding, prayer, deep nourishment with teas/ juices/ broths, movement, lymphatic massage, body work, clearing out junky neural pathways and replacing them with healthy beliefs and forgiveness, etc., all work together to cleanse and nourish the body.
We can use herbs and other natural therapies to open up the elimination pathways. We can use herbs to clean up the junk blocking the nourishment from being fully absorbed and assimilated into the body. We can use herbs to provide the building blocks in their safest and most body-recognizable forms. Then we can see what else is needed. Then we can calm with lemon balm, balance with ashwaganda, fortify with garlic, etc., all the more effectively.
That doesn't mean you can't use the "action" herbs first - you totally can. Sometimes we need a bridge to feel "better enough" to make more positive changes.
I saw a coach advertise themselves the other day, blasting the purists who want to take you off sugar and alcohol and putting you on only the good things. Well, I'm that purist. Because I've seen it work.
I started out "integrating" Western and holistic medicine. I saw rapid major improvement. But it only took me so far. You can't win a race by pushing the accelerator and the brakes at the same time. You can't expect your car to run well by pouring in both gasoline AND sugar-water into the engine. A toxic body can't heal.
A compromised gut lining and microbiome just can't produce the right hormones and neurotransmitters in the needed balance. And every pharmaceutical drug compromises the gut, especially those containing heavy metals and anti-biotics. Don't even get me started on foreign proteins.
If you want to truly kick your dis-ease in the butt, I really believe - based on my own research, formal education, and personal experience, that you DO have to be a purist. But you don't have to do it all at once, and you don't have to necessarily do ALL of it either. It depends on what you are trying to overcome. But thinking you can keep your bad habits and just sprinkle a little herbal fairy dust in just does NOT work.
That's why herbal capsules can't just replace a pharma pill. That is why so many people believe herbs don't work. The herbs need to be part of a lifestyle that encourages cleansing and nourishment and re-connection (to self, to others, to God) of the body in every way. That is what leads to true wellness.
Did this resonate with you? Learn more from my Herbal Class Vault https://www.everydayanexperiment.com/herbalclassvault or reach out to me in a private message to find out if my consults could be a good fit for you.
Why Herbs Can’t Replace Pharmaceutical Pills
